Improvement in car-trucks



N. F. BRYANT.

Changeable-Gage Truck.

Patented D60. 27, 1864.

1512457713 L/EXW Winw ff/Ma 3%;

N- PEIERS. FHOTO-LITHOGRAPHFJI. WASHINGTON.

UNITED STATES Permit @rrrcn.

NAHUM F. BRYANT, OF BOSTOX, MLSSAUIIUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-TRUCKS.

Specification forming partof Letters Patent No. 415,5 ea, dated December27, 1564.

This invention relates to the adaptation of l cartrucks to run uponrailways of varying gages, the improvement consisting in the method ofconfining the wheels in position upon the axle (to which they are soapplied as to be capable of sliding) in such manner as to increase ordiminish their distance apart, according to the gage of the track uponwhich the car is to be run; also, in the details of mechanism employedin carrying out the main part of my invention.

The improvement in no way relates to the i manner of or mechanism forsliding or moving 1 the Wheels laterally, but to the means employed forchucking or fastening the whee s, so that while they are capable ofbeing drawn together or apart, as circumstances may require, they canalso be rigidly confined upon their axles, so as to be incapable of anylateral movement with respect to each other while the car is runnin Theinvention will be understood from the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 represents a side elevation and central section ofa pair ofcar-wheels 011 an axle, a. Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line or so,and Fig. 3 a crossscction on the line .2 c,

of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows an elevation of the end 5 of the axle, and Fig.5 an inner view of the wheel-hub.

(t denotes the axle; I) 0, the car-wheels. Each endof theaxlea, insideof the journal d,is provided with twoflanges or shoulders, of, madeintegral with the axis or immovably fastened thereupon after the wheelsare mounted. Between these flanges the wheel can slide freely on theaxle, a spline, g,in the hub fitting into a groove, h, in the axle, aswill be understood irom Figs. 9, 4, and 5, said spline and grooveguiding the wheel in its lateral movement, and keeping it from rotatingon the axle. The space between the flanges is so fixed that when thewheels are drawn in so that their hubs abut against the inner flangesthe wheels are at that distance apart which shall adapt the truck to arailway of narrow gage, while when they are slid outward so as to abutagainst the outer flanges they are in position for the car to run uponthe broad gage. The board and narrow gages being of a regulated ordetermined width, the narrow gage being the common railway of four feeteight and one-half inches between the rails,

and the broad gage having six feet between the rails, it will be seenthat the wheel has only to be secured against one or the other of theflanges cf, and nexer midway between them, a modification of thisarrangement being necessary, when the car is to. run upon more than thetwo gages. To eti'ect this securing, I employ a cylindrical collar, '1',made in parts or halves, so as to be removable from the axle, whichparts may be hnged together, if necessary, as seen in Fi 3. This collarfits accurately upon the axle and between either end of the hub and theadjacent shoulder on the axle, and so as to entirely prevent any lateralmovement of the wheel upon the axle.

To secure the parts of the collar together or upon the axle, a ring, 70,fits upon and slides over the collar, such ring being made of metal orof elastic material, and being kept in position by its own elasticity orimpingement around the collar, or by sliding over a spring, m, as willbe readily understood. Y'Vhen the collar is to be removed, the ring it,is slid oi't' from the end of the collar upon a groove, a, made in theflanges e f. Any other convenient method may be used for confining theparts of the collar upon the axle. To change the car, therefore, fromone track to another, it is only necessary to remove the collars, slidethe wheels in or out upon the axles, and again place the c llars inposition on the opposite sides ot'the wheels, between the hub and theother flanges c f, the simplicity of the operation enabling a train ofcars to be run from one track to another of difi'erent width with greatexpedition, and with no other than the ordinary skill, to be found inthe common employs of a railroad. As it may be found necessary tosomewhat elongate the ordinary hub of car-wheels, to adapt them to myinvention, I would remark that the hub maybe provided, if foundnecessary, with a bushing of steel, such construction adding strength tothe hub and enabling it better to res st any tendency to wear frommovement upon the axle. The position of the spline and groove g h mayberevtrsed, the spline being p aced on the axle and in a modification ofmy invention which I propose sometimes to employ, instead of using aremovable collar, 2', I place a narrow collar or ring upon the axle, oneach end of the hub. The axle is provided w th a number of splines, andthe rings with corresponding grooves, and when the wheel is slid up toits place on the axle the ring is brought up against it, and thenrotated slightly, so as to bring the ends of the splines (behind thering) against the solid parts of the ring, concentric with its grooves,thus fastening the wheel in position, a key or pin being used to preventthe ring from turning on the axle. \Nith this arrangement the wheels andaxle are made easily adaptable to more than two gages of track, asspaces may be left between the ends of the splines to correspond withthe different widths of tracks to be run upon; or a lipped projectionmay be made upon the hub, the lip extending over a sliding collar orcollars made with grooves, which slide with the hub and over the splinesupon the axle, rotation of the collar interlocking spline and collar,and the collar when so interlocked, conlining hub and wheel in lateralposition; or two cylindrical collars or a series of collars, similar tothe collar 1', but of less width, may be used to adapt the car to tracksof more than two gages, one or more collars being placed on each side ofthe wheel to confine it in intermediate position. With all of thesemethods there will be observed the same peauliarity ofconstruction-namely, the interposition between the hub of the wheel andthat part of the axle over which it can slide of a collar, or series ofprojections by which the wheel is made incapable of lateral movementwhile running, such collar or projection abutting against the wheel-hnb,and confining it between the collar and a flange upon the axle.

I claim 1. The 'combination,with a car-wheel and an axle upon which saidwheel slides, of flanges or projections cf, which control the extent oflateral movement of the slide-wheel, and a device or devices placed onone or both sides of the hub for confining the wheel against the flangee or f, and between said flange and the locking device, in the mannerand for the purpose substantially as set forth.

2. The removable cylindrical collar to be placed between the hub and theflange e or f on either side of the wheel, substantially as described.

3. The manner of securing the collar in position upon the axle by meansof the ring.

4. The springs which keep the ring from lateral movement.

5. In combination with a sliding wheel, the spline in the hub thereof,and the groove in the axle, operating together to guide the wheel in itslateral movement, and to prevent its rotation on the axle, substantiallyas specified.

NAHUM F. BRYANT. Witnesses:

FRANCIS GOULD, S. M. MoINaInE.

